The present invention relates to a text information read-out device and, more particularly, to a read-out technique for text information which is effective when music is reproduced in a music data reproducing device such as a CD player or an MD player or an information terminal such as a personal computer or an electronic databook.
As an information of this type, an music reproducing device using a voice synthesizer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-16479 or an electronic book device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-101697 are known. Of these devices, the music reproducing device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-161479 reproduces data obtained such that a back chorus part of a karaoke performance is stored as a character code. More specifically, the music reproducing device converts the character code into a voice through a voice synthesizer, and reproduces the voice together with music data. In this manner, a reduction in an amount of data in a karaoke device has been achieved.
In addition, the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-101697 reads text information from an information recording medium. When voice data is added to the information recording medium, the invention reproduces the voice data. When the voice data is not added to the information recording medium, the invention synthesizes voice data from the text information by using the voice synthesizer to output the voice data.
In this manner, conventional various information providing systems to which voice synthesizing devices are applied are proposed. In addition, as a voice synthesizing system, for example, a voice synthesizing program xe2x80x9cVoice seriesxe2x80x9d available from FUJITSU LIMITED is known.
On the other hand, in addition to music data itself, text information for explaining the titles pieces of music, a player""s name, and the like is added to a medium, e.g., a compact disk (to be referred to as a CD hereinafter) or a mini disk (to be referred to as an MD hereinafter) in which music data is recorded. Identification numbers which are unique in the world are added to these media. Databases such as music title lists which can be searched by using the identification number as a key can be used on Internet. In these databases, in addition to music titles, player""s names, composer""s names, release years, and the like are recorded as text information.
However, the text information added to the music data can be used in only a music reproducing device having a display device for displaying text information, e.g., a personal computer having a music reproducing function as shown in FIG. 16, a CD player having a liquid crystal display (LCD), or the like. The text information has not been always effectively used in a music reproducing device which does not have such a display device.
Even though a music reproducing device having a display device is used, a user must have had such a posture that the user can see the display device. Therefore, a user has not been able to easily refer to information related to the title, player, composer, and the like of a piece of reproduced music with such a relax posture that the user could listen to music.
The present invention is made in consideration of the above conventional technique problem. More specifically, the present invention provides text information to a listener with voice when music is reproduced from a medium on which text information is recorded together with music data, and achieves easy and smooth use of the text information.
The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problem.
More specifically, the present invention is a text information read-out device for reading out text information from a medium on which text information is stored together with music data, including:
a text information extraction unit extracting text information;
a voice synthesizer obtaining voice data from the extracted text information; and
a controller controlling a read-out timing of the voice data in synchronism with reproduction of music data.
Here, the synchronism means that a read-out start timing is adjusted for reproduction of the music data. For example, the controller may control a read-out timing of the voice data to any one of a reproduction start timing of the music data, a predetermined period of time after the reproduction start timing of the music data, and a reproduction end timing of the music data. In addition, the controller may control a read-out timing of voice data on the basis of a reproduction volume of the music data.
The text information extraction unit extracts text information from a medium on which text information is recorded together with music data. This voice synthesizer converts the text information into voice data. The controller controls a read-out timing of the voice data in synchronism with reproduction of the music data. The read-out timing of the voice data is the time when the voice data is output to the outside through a loudspeaker or the like.
The present invention, as described above, reads out text information for a listener in synchronism with reproduction of the music data when the music data is reproduced from a medium on which the text information is recorded together with the music data.
The present invention is a text information read-output device may include:
an identification information read-out unit for reading out identification information from a medium on which identification information is recorded together with music data;
a text information search unit for searching for text information related to the music data on the basis of the identification information;
a voice synthesizer for obtaining voice data from searched text information; and
a controller for controlling a read-out timing of the voice data in synchronism with reproduction of the music data.
The present invention may also be a storage medium readable by a machine tangible embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for reading out text information from a medium on which text information is recorded together with music data is recorded, the method steps comprising:
extracting text information;
synthesizing voice data from the extracted text information; and
controlling a read-out timing of the voice data in synchronism with reproduction of music data.
The present invention may also be a storage medium readable by a machine tangible embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps comprising:
reading out identification information from a medium on which identification information is recorded together with music data;
searching for text information related to the music data on the basis of the identification information;
synthesizing voice data from searched text information; and
controlling a read-out timing of the voice data in synchronism with reproduction of the music data.
As described above, according to the present invention, when music is reproduced from a medium on which text information is recorded together with music data, the text information is read out for a listener in synchronism with the reproduction of the music data. For this reason, the text information can be easily and smoothly used.